Harrisburg, PA − February 26, 2025 − This morning, Senator Lindsey M. Williams circulated a co-sponsorship memo calling on our Congressional Delegation to protect Pennsylvanians from the unprecedented personal data access of Elon Musk’s DOGE. Additionally, during today’s Senate Budget Hearing with the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), Senator Williams, Minority Chair of the Senate Education Committee, called on PDE to provide clear guidance and leadership to school districts in the midst of the Trump/Musk Administration chaos.
Following today’s legislative activities, Senator Williams issued this statement:
Currently, DOGE and Elon Musk have unprecedented levels of access to the personal and sensitive information of hundreds of millions of Americans via the Treasury Department, Department of Education and the Department of Veterans Affairs. My constituents should not have to worry about an unelected and unvetted billionaire with global conflicts of interests having access to their social security numbers, home addresses, personal tax/financial information, and data on their Medicare and Medicaid, Disability, and Veterans benefits.
And the Courts agree. Earlier this week, a U.S. District Judge issued a temporary restraining order on both the U.S. Department of Education and Office of Personnel Management, stating that the agencies “likely violated the Privacy Act by disclosing [plaintiffs’] personal information to DOGE affiliates without their consent.” The social security numbers, home addresses, and disability status of students should not be in the hands of Elon Musk.
Scammers seeking to destroy livelihoods will take advantage of this egregious breach in data security. We have an obligation to secure the data of our seniors, students, Veterans, and all of the people of Pennsylvania—and across the country.
In this time of chaos created by the Trump/Musk administration, it is imperative that Pennsylvanians know that their state government can and does work for them.
Just as we need leadership from Federal officials, we also need leadership from PDE. During today’s budget hearing, I called on the Department to provide clear guidance and leadership to school districts in the midst of a changing federal landscape.
Our school leaders are working with anxious and confused students, families and educators every day. This lack of timely guidance from PDE has put districts in a vulnerable position, and a lonely one. The schools are navigating the chaos of unclear and conflicting federal action without clear guidance from the state.
PDE needs to say loud and clear: Executive Orders and “Dear Colleague” letters are not law. Pennsylvania’s obligations to students under both federal and state law have not changed.
School solicitors are likely saying the same to their districts, but it carries more weight when these reassurances come from the Department. Schools are asking for – and frankly deserve – for PDE to have their back when they refuse to follow the unlawful and unconstitutional actions of Oligarchs in Washington, D.C. Other states like Washington and our neighbors in New Jersey, Delaware, and New York have all provided this assurance, and I am calling on Pennsylvania to do the same.
Our students, families, and educators deserve steady and consistent leadership from the state and federal officials as we navigate this chaos together.”
You can view video of Senator Williams at today’s budget hearing here.
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